Pathaan director on why film worked: Shah Rukh Khan created enigmatic quality

In an interview with Variety, Pathaan director Siddharth Anand opened up on the success Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan has received. 

"He created that enigmatic quality, that mystery around him, which a star should have and then did a film that is in a very popular genre," Anand continued. "That, coupled with the fact that the teaser landed so well, the songs became such huge hits, and to top it all the trailer gave the impact that it should. Everything just fell into place for the film. That's what created this mass hysteria."

Looking into the future, Anand told Variety: "I don't want to be limited by genre. I used to make romcoms. Today I'm making action films. Tomorrow, I might want to make a courtroom drama. There might be a slice of life, or just an outright comedy that I want to make. ... I want to be able to surprise the filmmaker in me and keep him alive. Keep him on the edge."

Next up for Anand is Viacom18's aerial action film Fighter, which reunites him with Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. Ten days of shoot have been completed on the film and the next schedule is due to commence on Friday. The aim, as Variety notes, is to release it on January 25 next year, exactly a year after Pathaan.